Official Review: The Taste of Champagne Urge
Posted: 31 Aug 2015, 00:42
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Taste of Champagne Urge" by Lyndon Walters.]
3 out of 4 stars
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The Taste of Champagne Urge by Lyndon Walters is a book in the science fiction genre. The author has conceptualized this book as a ‘Literary Docudrama Movie’.
Though I have categorized the book in the science fiction genre, it can fit well in the other fiction genre too. The reason I have put this book in the former section is because the story is set in the kingdom of Spaceville in the parallel, virtual planet of Asteroidia. The story begins with the funeral of a popular businessman, Earl Stagg, and starts with the tale surrounding his birth, upbringing and death. The book focuses on the stories of various characters related to the late businessman. The narrative then transfers its attention to Duke, Earl’s son, and introduces several other characters along the way, the most important among them being Sandra Bogus, an aspiring model.
The first aspect of this book which hits the reader immediately is its length, since the book is pretty long. The book is well detailed and almost all of this detailing is relevant to the context of the book, therefore there is little scope for reducing the length of the novel. This brings me to the next major aspect of this book, which is its concept. The central plot is dreamt up by two brains, namely Hifle and Pifle, who form the novel’s background. The identity of the person in whose head the two brains reside, is a mystery almost till the very end of the novel. Coming to the concept, the two brains dream up fictional virtual realities scenarios, set in the planet of Asteroidia. Nearly everything on that planet is a literal parallel to life on Earth. For example, the kingdom of Spaceville is a 1st rated kingdom similar to a first world developed country or green humanoids who discriminate against people of other colors (brown, purple, pink, etc), is an obvious reference to racial discrimination. The author has adopted an on-your-face approach to writing this novel, for instance, the neighborhoods in Spaceville are named as Poshborough, Ghettobourough, etc.
The plot itself is uncomplicated. There are very few themes which the author might have left untouched. Everything from the cycle of violence to racial discrimination to gang wars has been covered. The author’s portrayal of violence against women, and the trials and tribulations faced by foreign immigrants trying to settle in developed nations, is particularly cutting. The author’s depiction of how some immigrant families try to amalgamate within foreign culture, by imitating them if necessary, while others try to preserve their own native culture, is very acute. The author has seamlessly woven this multiplicity of themes in a single narrative spreading across some fifty characters and two generations. The story is punctuated with unexpected plot twists which make the book an engaging read. The author’s understanding of the ‘taste of champagne urge’ and the various meanings it assumes across the book is interesting.
Coming to the not so impressive aspects of this book, I felt the story was not as impactful as it could have been. Some of the really ugly scenes of violence perpetrated against women did not twist my heart as it should have. The author’s aim with this book is to analyze human behavior, the reasons behind our actions and how humans are conditioned to act in a certain way. I guess, since the story was executed in a somewhat mechanical fashion, especially with the character of the ‘Professor’ explaining human behavior after every major scene, the sting of the scene got lost somewhere. However, despite the fact that I found the book in its entirety a bit emotionally disengaging, the author needs to be given credit for attempting an unusual concept.
I think the story in itself is definitely worth a read and I would recommend it to all readers who don’t mind a stupendously long book. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars; I would have rated it higher but for its missing emotional appeal.
******
The Taste of Champagne Urge
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | Hassle-Free Sample
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Taste of Champagne Urge by Lyndon Walters is a book in the science fiction genre. The author has conceptualized this book as a ‘Literary Docudrama Movie’.
Though I have categorized the book in the science fiction genre, it can fit well in the other fiction genre too. The reason I have put this book in the former section is because the story is set in the kingdom of Spaceville in the parallel, virtual planet of Asteroidia. The story begins with the funeral of a popular businessman, Earl Stagg, and starts with the tale surrounding his birth, upbringing and death. The book focuses on the stories of various characters related to the late businessman. The narrative then transfers its attention to Duke, Earl’s son, and introduces several other characters along the way, the most important among them being Sandra Bogus, an aspiring model.
The first aspect of this book which hits the reader immediately is its length, since the book is pretty long. The book is well detailed and almost all of this detailing is relevant to the context of the book, therefore there is little scope for reducing the length of the novel. This brings me to the next major aspect of this book, which is its concept. The central plot is dreamt up by two brains, namely Hifle and Pifle, who form the novel’s background. The identity of the person in whose head the two brains reside, is a mystery almost till the very end of the novel. Coming to the concept, the two brains dream up fictional virtual realities scenarios, set in the planet of Asteroidia. Nearly everything on that planet is a literal parallel to life on Earth. For example, the kingdom of Spaceville is a 1st rated kingdom similar to a first world developed country or green humanoids who discriminate against people of other colors (brown, purple, pink, etc), is an obvious reference to racial discrimination. The author has adopted an on-your-face approach to writing this novel, for instance, the neighborhoods in Spaceville are named as Poshborough, Ghettobourough, etc.
The plot itself is uncomplicated. There are very few themes which the author might have left untouched. Everything from the cycle of violence to racial discrimination to gang wars has been covered. The author’s portrayal of violence against women, and the trials and tribulations faced by foreign immigrants trying to settle in developed nations, is particularly cutting. The author’s depiction of how some immigrant families try to amalgamate within foreign culture, by imitating them if necessary, while others try to preserve their own native culture, is very acute. The author has seamlessly woven this multiplicity of themes in a single narrative spreading across some fifty characters and two generations. The story is punctuated with unexpected plot twists which make the book an engaging read. The author’s understanding of the ‘taste of champagne urge’ and the various meanings it assumes across the book is interesting.
Coming to the not so impressive aspects of this book, I felt the story was not as impactful as it could have been. Some of the really ugly scenes of violence perpetrated against women did not twist my heart as it should have. The author’s aim with this book is to analyze human behavior, the reasons behind our actions and how humans are conditioned to act in a certain way. I guess, since the story was executed in a somewhat mechanical fashion, especially with the character of the ‘Professor’ explaining human behavior after every major scene, the sting of the scene got lost somewhere. However, despite the fact that I found the book in its entirety a bit emotionally disengaging, the author needs to be given credit for attempting an unusual concept.
I think the story in itself is definitely worth a read and I would recommend it to all readers who don’t mind a stupendously long book. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars; I would have rated it higher but for its missing emotional appeal.
******
The Taste of Champagne Urge
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | Hassle-Free Sample
Like ananya92's review? Post a comment saying so!
